Bizarre Incidents At Wash. And Oregon State Capitols

The three-foot Samurai sword recovered from a man arrested near the Oregon Capitol building on Saturday.

Oregon State Police

The Washington and Oregon state capitols have been the scenes of two bizarre incidents in recent days. Both involved apparently mentally unstable men. One had a gallon of gasoline, the other wielded a samurai sword.

The first scare happened over the weekend on the Capitol Mall in Salem. Early Saturday morning a state groundskeeper spotted a man armed with a three-foot Samurai sword. As he got closer, the man reportedly starting swinging the sword and yelling obscenities. The 28-year old was arrested after Salem police held him at gunpoint.

In Olympia, another dramatic scene. A man dressed in fatigues dropped off some documents at the governor’s office. Then, according to state troopers, he returned to his car, took out a gallon of gasoline and doused himself. The man was walking back towards the Capitol when he collapsed and was arrested. He did not try to ignite himself. Troopers had little information on the man, but did say it appears he is either in the military or is a veteran.